Kitchen cabinets fitted at different heights <sob>

[Iggly]

We've had someone in to fit our kitchen - was getting excited as nearly there. Yesterday (Friday), kitchen fitter went home for the weekend having put up all the tiles and his last day is Monday to finish odd jobs.

I walked into the kitchen this morning and spotted that the cabinets on the right hand wall are every so slightly higher than on the left wall. It was obvious because the tiles on one wall needed cutting but the other wall didn't. It's like a fecking eye sore. It's a difference of about 1cm, so not much. Because of the tiling it sticks out and I know I'll see it every time I walk in.

The fitter's last day is Monday as he starts a new job on Tuesday.

I'm going to point it out on Monday as it bothers me. Would it bother you? Would you ask him to correct it? It'll be a big job as the tiles are up now (although not grouted yet) so not sure he'll want to do it.

What do I do? How much of a fuss should I create? I know I need to say something but the inner "polite person" in me is already saying I can live with it eventually

THAT'S GUTTING!!!!
Would 100% get it changed, if you didnt have tiles you may of got away with it but the tiles actually highlight the height difference.
Now you know it's there it will be the 1st thing you will look at every time you walk into the room.
It shouldn't be too hard for him to knock off the top layer of tile (extra cut one) and lower the wall units
Good luck, let us know what he says but stand your ground, your his employer

Repositioning to the correct height should be an easy job. The wall cabinets fix to a bracket on the wall and there is an element of adjustment, although there may not now be as much as 10mm available so he may need to reposition brackets.
Chipping off top layer of cut tiles is easy - just need to protect surrounding tiles and surfaces to take care no damage is done.
Ask him why he has done this. If there is a real reason i.e power cables in wall, then there should be a way of getting around this without compromising the cabinet fitting??
Not your problem if he has another job starting - this is your job and you want it done properly. A day is more than enough time to sort out this issue.

Yes it's the bloody tiles that make it obvious what he's done (and why he didn't spot it I don't know).

I can't see there is a real reason - I know where the cables are so I think he ballsed up. Cabinets on one wall line up with the larder and cabinets on the other wall he would have measured but clearly didn't compare to the other wall. I had a look at the plans (ikea kitchen) and there's a 3mm difference (god knows why) but he's ended up with a 10mm + difference.

I'll be speaking to him Monday. Glad to hear it should be easy to take the tiles off but worried he won't be able to adjust the cabs due the brackets.

Are you sure it's the cabinets fitted at different heights at not an optical annoyance caused by the extra tiling above the cabinets on one side?

We had this in a bathroom in an old place we lived in.

Tiler drew a level line the whole way around the room based on the level position of the bath.

You could do a similar level line based on say, the level of the worktop.

However, by the time the tiler got to the top of our bathroom walls there was a difference on two of the four sides.

That is (it was an old building) either the walls were sloping, so in effect were longer to reach the ceiling or the plastering on the ceiling was uneven, leaving a gap at the top of two walls.

Maybe through historical settlement of walls and so on.

I wouldn't have thought a 10mm difference was much in an old house - ours was about 4/5 cm.

The key thing is disguising it. If you tile down from the ceiling and keep the cut tile above the new units you'll probably never notice the disparity but obviously, if you tile up to the ceiling and fill the gap with a cut tile, then you see it!

Personally, I would imagine the units are more likely level and your walls are out of whack - but I'm an optimist!

Could he just re-do the tiles above the units and hide the 'cut' somehow where the tiles reach the unit.

You can blame the tiler/fitter but he probably wouldn't have realised until he got nearer the ceiling, that there was going to be a gap but I feel your pain - it's annoying

Tiles only come to bottom of the cabinets. I've also measured from worktop to base of cabinets and there is a difference. Worktops are level.

I'll read your post again though to check if that could be an issue.

Just reading through again, I may have misunderstood the area being tiled.

I thought it was from the woktop to the ceiling and either continuing up the wall behind the wall units or, going around the wall units to the ceiling. I don't know, would that be about 10 - 12 tiles high perhaps?, maybe a few more/less depending on the tile style/size.

Of course, if you are simply tiling from worktop to base of wall unit, about three tiles high, and one side has an extra bit of tile, the wall units have definitely being hung at a different height.

Yes just from worktop to base of cabinets.

That's a weird one for sure.
I always understood that kitchen fitters measured a uniform/industry standard distance between the top of the worktop and the bottom of the wall unit of three standard tile heights - you know, it's just like one of those 'standard' things.

Odd, that he wouldn't have noticed that he did say, three tiles on one wall and a few hours later three and a bit tiles on the other wall!

Maybe he has already adjusted the wall units as far down as they will go still couldn't do it!

As you originally said, sounds like inaccurate measuring - very strange in a kitchen fitter for something like that though!

Hope it works out!

Surely he did notice what he'd done - and just didn't mention it, hoping that you wouldn't notice.

He must have noticed because, otherwise, he would have discussed it with you to check whether you still wanted to tiles. ie if it was due to sloping walls, he'd have pointed it out that the gap may appear similar but tiles will show it's not. I'm dying to know what he says when you point it out to him.

It could be that you have a high point on your floor on that side of the room, ie you are meant to measure up from the floor and set a laser level. You then check for the high points on the floor, and adjust accordingly.

I'm not the best person to explain it but have a look at this video, it will explain it all within the first 6 mins, it is worth your while to watch it.

Ignore the fact that it is American and therefore the measurements are in inches, just watch to understand the principle behind what your fitter should have done before he even started.

Do not accept the kitchen as it is, it will not be hard to remove the tiles on that side and adjust the cabinets.

I reckon he did notice and is hoping we didn't. He kept forgetting to screw the oven in too ffs! And I'd had to remind him to do other bits and pieces. He seems a bit slap dash

I will report back on Monday

Go round the kitchen today and make a list of any other snags that need attending to tomorrow. Don't pay the final bill until you are satisfied the job has been done to the standard you are happy with.